TAYLOR JONES SAYS: In Cabin Fever by Tara Eldana, Amy McDonald has always loved Gray Reardon, but his friend Smitty saw her first and laid claim. Amy broke up with Smitty because she didn’t feel it was fair to him when she loved Gray. Shortly after Smitty was on patrol in Afghanistan, and Gray blames Amy. Out for revenge, he convinces Amy to marry him and then leaves her at the altar. Only afterward, does he realize that Smitty lied about his and Amy’s relationship, and Gray just tossed away the only woman he can ever love.

With wonderful characters, a solid plot, some interesting twists and turns, and plenty of hot sex scenes, what more could you ask?

REGAN MURPHY SAYS: Cabin Fever by Tara Eldan is the story of Amy McDonald and Grayson Reardon. The two star-crossed lovers have been in love for ages, but their friend Smitty was in the way. Since he saw Amy first, he started dating her, but Amy didn’t love him. She loved Gray. Knowing that it was unfair to Smitty to continue to give him hope when she loved someone else, she broke up with him via Skype while he, Gray, and their friend Luke were serving in Afghanistan. When Smitty is killed while out on patrol, Gray and Luke blame Amy. When they get back from Afghanistan, Gray tricks her into accepting his marriage proposal, then he humiliates her in front of her family and friends by calling it off minutes before their vows are said. Amy is devastated when he leaves her at the altar and vows to forget she ever knew him. Gray, on the other hand, realizes he’s made a terrible mistake and lost the woman he truly loves, but how can he get her back?

Cabin Fever is cute, fun, charming, and hot. The characters are well developed, the plot filled with surprises, and the sex scenes spicy and plentiful. I enjoyed it very much.

Chapter 1

He’d done it.

Amy was with her bridesmaids, waiting to marry him.

All he, Grayson, had to do was walk out and call it off like he’d planned.

She’d dumped Smitty, his best friend, on a Skype call while he and Smitty were serving a tour in Afghanistan. Then Smitty got killed, likely from being distracted at having his heart ripped out of his body.

“You good, man?” said Luke, his best man.

Gray and Luke were best friends and partners. They built condos and commercial buildings near Lake Michigan. He and Luke had been in Smitty’s platoon.

“You got cold feet about dumping her ass?”

“No,” Gray said. He pulled on his collar. His blood ran cold in his veins, like it had before he led his own platoon out on patrol in the mountains of Afghanistan. He set his mouth in a grim line.

Think of Smitty, not her.

“Let’s do this,” Luke said.

Gray nodded. “Let’s go.”

***

Liz, Amy’s maid of honor, held Amy’s veil back while Amy expelled the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She took long, deep breaths.

“I think I’m good, Liz,” she said.

“Bullshit,” Liz hissed. “You’re so not good, Ames. You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

Amy sipped the glass of water Liz handed her, trying not to smudge her lipstick.

“It was just one time. That doesn’t happen, does it? It has to be nerves,” Amy said.

“Just one time?” Liz yelled. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’ve only done it with the guy you’re going to marry just one time?” She took both of Amy’s hands and held them. “Something’s not right about him, about this. Why so fast? You’ve only been dating for six months. No guy proposes that fast. Did he ask you right after?”

“No,” Amy said. “And I seduced him. And that was only three weeks ago. I’ve been in love with him forever, even when I was with Smitty, but he never even looked at me. That’s why I broke it off with Smitty. I wanted to feel that for the man I married. There was nothing going on between me and Gray ever, not until after.”

“You didn’t tell him you still had your V-card, did you?” Liz said.

“He was surprised, shocked really,” Amy said.

“Holy hell.”

“Liz, I’m going to puke.” Amy raced for the toilet, but nothing came up. “I’m okay.”

“I’m going to get you some ginger ale,” Liz said.

***

Gray looked across the meadow where a handful of his and Amy’s friends and family waited for them to declare their undying love for each other. He’d hustled her to agree to a small wedding.

He pulled hard on the collar of his dress shirt and tux. It felt like it was strangling him.

She was a virgin.

It didn’t make sense.

Smitty described Amy and what they’d supposedly done in excruciating detail.

It was all typical Smitty bullshit.

Gray had incontrovertible proof. What else had Smitty lied about?

Amy was so tight his dick got hard remembering it. He’d made her come repeatedly with his hands and his mouth. She was so responsive, and she seemed so surprised by her reaction to him.

He told her he wanted them to be married before he sank himself inside her, but the truth was he couldn’t stomach the thought that she had given that to Smitty first.

But she hadn’t.

Her small, soft hands on his body made him insane with wanting her, like he’d always wanted her, even when she was with Smitty. Gray had even moaned her name when he was with more than one of the nameless women he’d fucked in college.

That night she was so determined to seduce him.

The little vixen impaled herself on him and cried out when he’d breached her hymen. After that, he was lost. He couldn’t stop. He rode her hard, and she screamed his name. He spilled his seed inside her, and she milked his cock dry. He hadn’t had protection because he was determined to resist her, and he had until that night.

He’d carried her to the shower and gently cleaned her. Then he settled her in his arms in bed. She called his name, reached for his dick, and said she loved him, all in a deep sleep.

She loved him.

She told Smitty she loved him, too.

She was a heartless bitch. She had to be.

Gray forced himself to remember his friend in the body bag they’d shipped him home in.

Smitty was a lieutenant. Two weeks after Amy broke up with him, he led his platoon on patrol into a remote area and got ambushed. Smitty would not have been so careless if Amy hadn’t fucked with his head. At least he was the only casualty from his platoon.

The bitch had to pay.

“The car’s ready,” Luke said. “You going to wait till she walks up there to dump her, right?”

Grayson nodded. He felt sick to his soul. He didn’t see Liz behind them.

***

“Fuck,” Liz yelled. She threw the can of ginger ale across the room. Amy’s mother, Nancy had just left.

“What?” Amy picked up her bouquet of pink hydrangeas. She checked the mirror. Her blonde hair was arranged under the veil so the back hung down in curls. Her brown eyeliner and mascara made her eyes look bluer, and she touched up her blush so she didn’t look so pale.

“I heard them, Ames. That prick Luke said the car’s ready and asked Gray if he was going to wait till you walked up there to dump you.”

Amy swayed on her feet. “It was too good to be true,” she whispered. “I just wanted it to be.”

Liz grabbed hold of her.

“He hates me for what happened to Smitty,” Amy said. “I thought, I hoped, he was just grieving. He would never talk about it. I tried to explain. I hate me for what I did to Smitty. I deserve this.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I should have done it before his reserve unit got called up. But it happened so fast. There was no good time.”

Liz sobbed. “It’s not your fault, any of it,” she said. Her brown eyes blazed with anger.

“It is,” Amy said. “All of it. Karma. Let’s get this over with.”

Maybe then she could forget Gray and move on. Her part in Smitty’s death would always be with her. Gray’s public hatred of her might help her guilt and sorrow dissolve, or Gray’s sorrow anyway.

“You can’t be serious,” Liz said. “Why would you let him do this to you? Just leave now.”

Amy shook her head. “He left so fast after our night together,” she said. “He said there was a problem on a project in Indiana he had to sort out.”

He’d come back just three days ago. To do this.

She took her father Steve’s arm while Liz sobbed. Amy’s mother asked Liz three times if she was okay and looked at Amy in concern. Liz stared hard at Amy.

“He loves you, Amy,” Nancy said. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks nobody’s watching.” She kissed Amy on her cheek and walked up the aisle on Luke’s arm.

Liz seethed then sauntered up the aisle, not waiting for him to escort her, as they had practiced.

Amy nodded at Liz when she took her place next to Gray and Luke. Amy’s father cupped her cheek.

“Amester, are you sure? You and Liz seem upset. And Gray looks like he’s about to pass out. Is something wrong?”

Amy looked at Gray. He’d tamed his wavy, dark brown hair, and his hard jawline was clean shaven. He watched her, unsmiling. Amy clutched her father’s arm and nodded.

Game on.

She walked on her father’s arm to where they stood next to the minister. Liz continued to sob, and the guests looked concerned.

Gray’s hazel eyes looked glassy as Amy drew closer and closer. Her dad kissed her cheek then left her.

Amy looked at Gray, probably for the last time in her life.

“I always loved you,” she whispered, smiling through her tears before she faced the minister.

© 2018 by Tara Eldana

“Although it’s entirely predictable, it’s a cute little love story that is a good read for cabin or beach.” ~ Alberta of Manic Readers READ FULL REVIEW